Friday, December 21, 2007

The last gift has been wrapped. The last cookie has been baked. The last bag has been packed (almost). We're heading "over the river and through the woods" to Grandma's house. Mama Nash will be taking an Internet break this weekend through Christmas to spend time with family. So if you're reading this, get off the computer and go enjoy the company of loved ones.

Yesterday afternoon I drove downtown with William to meet Brian after work. Brian wasn't with us the first time William saw Santa so we decided to go visit him again. We also had a gift certificate to Palomino so we decided it would be a good time to use it.

Palomino is one of our all-time favorite restaurants in Minneapolis. We went there for the first time on New Year's Eve when we were in college. On a college budget it was definitely a splurge. Since then we've been there numerous times for happy hour in the bar or dinner in the dining room. But we've never been there with William. And while I'll be the first to admit it definitely isn't a kid-friendly atmosphere, I just wanted to see if we could get in and out really quick so that we could use the gift certificate that expires at the end of this month.

William ended up being fantastic. They gave us a high chair and he sat there and ate the green beans and macaroni I had brought for him. There were only a few whines to be heard. But the part that really made us feel like parents and not the rockin' couple we used to be is where we had to sit. Instead of sitting in the hip bar with the floor-to-ceiling length windows that face Hennepin Avenue we sat in the overflow seating along the edges of the entryway. Nowhere close to the bar or the dining room.

I sighed and said to Brian, "I guess we got the boot out of the cool people's club now that we have a baby."

Oh well. It was still the same menu and the food and drinks were excellent as usual.

P.S. We received the gift certificate from Palomino for Brian's birthday as a thank you for being such devoted patrons of the restaurant. I, however, forgot to mention on my blog that it was Brian's birthday on December 15. So if you get a chance send him some birthday wishes. Happy Birthday, BT! You rock my world!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Last night I tagged Brian "it" on his way in the door from work and I headed out to Target for the fourth time in a week. I was able to cross my last Christmas gift of 2007 off my list. Miraculously we made it through this season without one charge on our credit cards. Now we'll be eating ramen noodles for the next two months. Just kidding. But it does feel good to be done with the hustle and bustle.

As I pulled into the Target parking lot I noticed that the lot was nearly full. Even those parking spots way out in the back that most days are used as just another roadway were taken. But as I got closer there it was glimmering at me. A wide-open space right there in the front next to the handicap spot. I thought surly there must be a car waiting to pull in, but there was no vehicle in sight. As I pulled in I thought of course this spot is open. The one time I don't have to lug a 20-plus-pound toddler bulked up in his winter gear a half a mile to the door, the front spot is open to my lonesome self. I suppose that's how it goes.

Friday, December 14, 2007

In one day I suddenly came to appreciate two things in life that you really only come to appreciate once they're gone. First it was the electricity. It only went out for a little over an hour but it was just enough to send a chill throughout the house with the single-digit temperature outside.

The second was my health. It seems I had a delayed response to the stomach virus my whole family caught right around Thanksgiving. Apparently getting a delayed version of that virus means you get it twice as bad. I'll spare you the details but let's just say I'm thankful for my husband on days like that. He was able to take the day off yesterday so that I could camp out in bed. I feel like I finally have some energy back today. I'm sad that my appetite isn't back yet though because we are going out for a special Italian dinner tonight for Brian's upcoming birthday. I guess as a payback I can be Brian's designated driver tonight.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

I've had a very busy week, as most weeks tend to go during this advent season. But last night I was treated with a night out with my girlfriends. We typically try to get together one Saturday evening every 2 to 3 months. The last time we were together was in the middle of October. As we were trying to plan a night out before the end of the year, we quickly realized it was going to be impossible to try to align every one's schedules in December to make a Saturday work. And that's one rule we have about girls' night. Every one has to be able to make it otherwise we cancel and reschedule.

So being the determined girls we are, we decided to pick a weeknight this time. Last night, after the meal was finished, we all agreed that going out on a weeknight was a lot of fun. Instead of eating a few appetizers and then spending the majority of our time on the bar scene, we indulged in a big, long dinner with great conversation and lots and lots of laughs.

Both types of nights are wonderful and it's nice to have a little bit of each every once in a while. But the part I love most about girls' night is how it is a big priority in each of our lives. The date we pick is sacred and it usually will take something pretty big for us to cancel. Each of us is at a different point in our lives. Some are married, some are dating and some are looking. Currently I am the only one with a baby. No matter where we are in our lives, though, we each are taking a little time to escape the ordinary and every one needs a little of that.

Monday, December 10, 2007

On Friday night we had a Family Christmas Extravaganza in downtown Minneapolis. We first went to see the Nutcracker display on the 8th floor of Macy's. William enjoyed all the lights and the animated characters. If any of you live in the Twin Cities I highly recommend wandering up there with your kids. The best part is that it's free!

Following the display, Macy's of course gives your children the opportunity to sit with Santa. Even though this is technically William's second Christmas, it was his first time meeting Santa since he was just a newborn last year. We expected tears and cries when he saw the man in the big red coat but instead we got smiles and giggles! It was really funny.

After that everyone bundled up for the 5-degree chill and scoped out a spot on Nicollet Mall to watch the Holidazzle Parade. Although it was nearly impossible for William to move underneath 17 layers of clothing he was still able to get his legs moving to the beat of the music that was playing on the floats. I confess we did cut out a bit early due to the cold and escaped to Ike's for some hot drinks and appetizers. It was a great night and William was fantastic especially given the fact that we pushed his bedtime back two hours.

Friday, December 7, 2007

You may have noticed lately that I've made some changes to my sidebar. I've discovered widgets from Amazon.com. Widgets allow me to look up any product on Amazon and put a direct link on my website. Anyone who clicks on one of those links from my website and subsequently purchases the product equals a little cha ching in my pocket. But the percentage isn't anything to get me too excited about.

So rather than trying to be a pushy salesperson, I hope you take a moment to gander at a few of the things the Nashes are up to. And in case you're wondering, yes, I am still reading that same book that is listed under, "The Pages I'm Turnin'." Before William was born I used to be able to get through almost a book a week as I would ride the bus to and from work. But now the only time I have to read is before bed. And I have a really, really comfortable bed. So I usually can only get through about one chapter before dreamland beckons.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

On Saturday, while we were setting up our tree and other Christmas decorations, I was going through the closet under our stairs. One of the major downfalls of our cute, but tiny, house is that we don't have a basement. So when it comes to storage (and you know you need a lot of it once a baby arrives) this is where all Nash miscellaneous items go to die or be forgotten.

As I was going through the Christmas bins I decided to tackle the whole closet and reorganize. I found a lot of good stuff back there that has never been used. There were a few wedding presents that were still brand new in their boxes! Now that we've gone almost a whole year on one income I have suddenly been able to realize a money-making situations when I see one. It's the type of situation that I may have previously overlooked when we had more than enough income coming in.

I thought to myself, "I bet there are people out there who would pay good money for this stuff that we never use and is only taking up precious storage space."

Being December and the fact that we live in the snow-covered Tundra, it's not very feasible to have a garage sale. So I posted a bunch of these items on eBay. To date I've already made $76.97 on five items. If you're interested in some of my items, my username on eBay is btnash75.

And eBay isn't only good for selling items. It's a great place to find namebrand merchandise at super cheap prices. Some of the listed items are even brand new with the tags still on. Lately I've been hunting for a pair of holiday pajamas for William. Why spend the outrageous prices that stores like the Gap are asking for when I know the clothes won't fit him in another couple of months? One of my best purchases so far is a pair of Stride Rite shoes that retail for $49. I bought them on eBay for $16!

Monday, December 3, 2007

One year ago from this past Saturday William was released from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Children's Hospital in St. Paul after ten long, agonizing days of lung problems following his birth. I am often asked if we knew there would be problems with our baby upon his birth or if there was anything we could have done to prevent it. The answer is no and no.

William had what was called a pneumothorax, a pretty common and treatable condition mostly occurring in white males who are born early. In fact, the doctors and nurses made us feel so confident that it was common and easily treatable that we initially didn't even tell a lot of people when we called to announce William's birth. But unfortunately William was an atypical case and his condition quickly worsened and became quite critical. At 2:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning four medical staff came to transfer William via ambulance from the hospital where he was born to the NICU at Children's Hospital.

A little later on Thanksgiving morning Brian called the hospital priest to come and baptize our new baby as he continued to get worse. It was then at that moment that I knew my perfect plan of having my baby sleep beside my hospital bed while I relaxed for two days after giving birth and then being able to bring our new baby home just in time for Thanksgiving dinner had perished.

Lately I've been reading a lot of the website we had set up to keep family and friends informed while William was in the hospital and I can't believe how positive Brian and I were. Now that a whole year has passed I can honestly say it was one of the most trying times in my entire life. It seemed that with everything the doctors and nurses were trying William just got worse. For three days he was the most critical patient in the NICU even among all the 2- and 3-pound babies. And then when he finally did turn a corner he had, what seemed like, an endless list of milestones to reach before he could be released.

When you are holding another baby and the baby starts to fuss it's always the mother who is there to say, "Oh try this, he loves to be held like this." But instead I had all the nurses telling me things like this about my own son. And while I know they meant well, I hated it. I wanted to hold my own son without having to ask and I wanted to feed him when I knew he was hungry and not because he had to stick to a strict 2-hour regimen. But when visitors came or when we talked to friends and family on the phone we just smiled and said, "It's ok" and, "We're fine." But the truth was that I was so bitter and angry that I wasn't going to get my picture perfect first week with my new baby like every other mother gets to.

But God always seems to have a different plan. And while I still can't look back on that experience and say that it was a positive one I can say that everything turned out just fine. We are now so thankful to have a happy and healthy 1-year-old who we can someday tell about the adventure he put us through after his birth. And we have memories to tell him about like Dean, the Harley-Davidson-riding, leather-jacket-with-fringe-wearing nurse; and Nurse Ratched, who kicked out Brian's dad from William's room when she thought he was talking too loud; and the time when our friend, Santo, snuck in much-needed beer for Brian one night. Things like that make me remember that while my experience wasn't the one I had painted my head, it actually didn't turn out so bad.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Today, before our first snowstorm of the year got too intense, we braved the roads to go get our Christmas tree as a family. Now from looking at the pictures below you might think, "Wow, that's so great that Brian and Jenny decided go and cut down their own tree." Yeah, that would be great if we decided that. But we didn't.

Last night I was searching all over in the Internet for Christmas tree lots close to our house. I was lucky enough to find this great little one just up the road. I thought the proximity would be perfect with the upcoming inclement weather. The lot was called Choose & Cut Christmas Trees. I failed to read the "cut" part. I'm really more of a "chooser" than a "cutter" when it comes to buying Christmas trees. When we pulled up and saw a field of trees, saws, twine and a trailer with two employees we knew right away this wasn't our cup of tea.

But in true Nash form we went with it and it actually was a lot of fun. With the snow flying it felt like a real old-fashioned Christmas. I'll admit, it was a bit tricky getting that tree on the roof of our Passat while every other customer there remembered to bring their SUV but we got our tree home safe and sound and it's beautiful.

Alright this is bigger than that last He's Famous post I made. That was local. This is national. Ever heard of Parents magazine? Pretty much every mom on the face of the planet has picked it up and read it at least once in their lifetime, right? Well they have a web spin off called Goodblog. It's packed with lots of great stuff like give-aways, news articles and just cool stuff. Every Thursday they feature a cute kid and they call it, what else, Cute Kid Thursday. Well guess who was picked this week? This would be a pretty mean lead-up if it wasn't William, wouldn't it? But it is William!

Click here to check it out (you may have to scroll down to see it) and don't forget to leave a comment for all of America to see!

He plays by himself! This morning he gave me time to eat breakfast in peace and quiet AND still more time to clean up the kitchen. Small miracles. But let me tell you. It was risky business taking this picture. Like not wanting to wake a sleeping giant.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Today was William's 12-month doctor check-up. Everything looked great. He's in the 25th percentile for weight (21 lbs) and the 50th for both height (29.8 inches) and head circumference (18.25 inches). Developmentally he's at the 15-month stage. Although his weight is completely normal (he's steadily been in the 25th percentile since he was born) I have a hunch he would have been slightly heavier had he not had this whole throw-up and the other flu you-know-what-I'm-talking-about symptom this past week.

And then came the shots... Four of them today because I opted in for the flu vaccine not wanting to take any chances. He had a small lunch at noon and now has been sleeping ever since as he does every time he gets shots. He has to go back in four weeks to get the booster flu shot that all infants/toddlers have to get the first year they get the flu vaccine. Luckily for me that's during Christmas week when Daddy will be less busy at work and able to take him in and experience the agony every parent goes through when they watch their child get poked.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

William is only a few days past his first birthday but he already knows how to share really well. Like sharing his stomach virus with all his cousins and aunts and uncles. Oh, and his dad.

We thought we were in the non-contagious zone by heading over to the Nashes for Thanksgiving nearly 48 hours after the last time William threw up. We had some great family time before the throw-up party began. All five of Brian's brothers and sisters and their spouses and kids were home. In the Nash home this is a very rare event. At best it happens once a year.

It was a full house. There were 11 adults, five grandchildren and two grandbabies in utero. (Meaghan and Nicky, not me!) While the Nashes still have the large home they raised all their kids in, we were busting at the seams. William and his cousin, Addison, even slept in two of the larger walk-in closets to save space. So I suppose the close quarters was an added factor in the virus that swept through the family.

The first man down was William's 17-month-old cousin, Patrick. His Uncle Mike, and 7-month-old cousin, Tommy, followed shortly after. And then there was Brian. How could I forget? William's Uncle Timmy and Aunt Molly followed later in the day.

So after two full days of family fun we decided to head home early because as Brian's brother, Kevin put it, "Everyone just wants to throw up in their house!"

William had another birthday party this weekend while we were celebrating Thanksgiving at the Nashes. It was William's Uncle Greg's birthday on the 23rd so we had a double whammy. Here are a few pictures of the celebration.

"My Uncle Greg is so funny!"

"Yaaay! Another birthday party!"

"Mom, you're not gonna make me eat this are you? My tummy still hurts."

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Tomorrow morning William will be featured in Showcase Minnesota's First Birthdays segment. For those who would like to tune in or set their TiVos, Showcase Minnesota airs on NBC (KARE 11) at 10:00 a.m. If you're reading this from outside of Minnesota you'll just have to check back on my blog tomorrow to see the clip.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

This morning I was just getting out of the shower when I heard a crash followed by Brian yelling, "No! No! No! That's naughty!"

I ran down the stairs to make sure nobody was bleeding and saw the lamp tipped over on the floor and William sitting next to it.

I'm secretly glad that Brian can't always be the fun parent. Most days it seems I'm running around the house chasing William and telling him what he can't do and what he needs to do, etc. And then Brian comes home from work, fresh from a day away from the chaos that is a one-year-old, and swoops in as William's personal amusement ride.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

William loves to do "so big." Especially at dinnertime. Yesterday I remembered that I took a video of him doing "so big," or rather me doing "so big" to him, when he was just under two-months-old. Below are two videos of William doing "so big." The first was on January 16, 2007 and then second one was taken just last evening.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

William got to celebrate his birthday a little early this morning at his Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) class. We don't have class next week because of Thanksgiving so all the teachers sang "Happy Birthday" to him and gave him a crown and a little duck. The crown is a little big for his head but it's the classic birthday crown picture that every kid has taken at some point so I had to do it.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Brian's parents watched William this weekend while we were away in Madison. When we came to pick him up on Sunday afternoon he was just getting up from a nap so I went upstairs to get him. And this is the sight I see. I guess when Green and Purple mix in the Nash family, Green wins. (I apologize for the quality of the photo. It was taken with my cell phone.)

This weekend Brian and I pretended we were in college again and without a baby and went to the Badger football game. If you're a college football fan in the least you'll know how cool it is that we had tickets to this game. And our seats weren't anything to complain about either: 50 yard line and 5 rows up. Even though we sat behind the opponent bench Brian and I felt star-struck to see all those famous Michigan players so close up. It was a spectacular game. Wisconsin upset Michigan 37-21.

And although I was at the game, you wouldn't know it from the following clip. See if you can recognize anyone on the right-hand side of the screen. Sitting to the left of Brian is his cousin, Chip.

This morning Brian had an 8 o'clock crentist appointment. (Any Office fans out there?) Ok, it was a dentist appointment but you know what I mean. After his appointment he came back home for about an hour before heading to his office. This has caused me to still be sitting here in my pajamas.

It seems to be a paradoxical situation. When I have Brian here to help me with the little monster, I get nothing done. My body immediately goes into weekend mode. When he gets up and goes to work as usual leaving me to fly solo, I stick to my routine and 90 percent of the time can cross everything off my list that needs doing.

Monday, November 5, 2007

One of the things that only happens to other people just happened to us. Credit card fraud. This morning there was a whisper in my ear that was telling me to log on to my online banking account. This is strange because I just logged in at the end of last week to pay bills online so the chances of me checking my account on this, a Monday morning, typically would be rare.

But lo and behold there it was, the reason for the whisper. A $528.93 pending charge to the Hewlett Packard Home Store. Pending is the key word here. When a charge is pending there is nothing, I was told, that Wells Fargo could do about it. I simply had to wait for the charge to go through before I could file a claim with their fraud investigation department. If you've ever been the victim of fraud you will know what I mean when I say I felt like a total sitting duck. I was feeling very helpless and extremely vulnerable.

I said a little prayer that this would all be resolved quickly and efficiently. At 1:00 p.m. my prayer was answered. Hewlett Packard called me and asked if Brian had ordered a laptop recently. A huge sigh escaped me and I explained to the lady what I had just discovered this very morning. She explained to me that some flags had popped up on their end as the order was being processed because a lot of the information didn't match up and it just didn't seem right. After I profusely thanked the Hewlett Packard lady I quickly proceeded to contact Wells Fargo to cancel both our check cards and to order new ones.

With our country nearing a paperless and cashless payment process I'm not really sure what I can be doing that I'm not already doing to prevent this from happening in the future. For now I'm just going to trust in the Lord and pray for the soul who committed this crime!

Yesterday when I was at Target I decided to browse through the clearance items in the baby clothes department. William was lucky enough to get handed down many, many winter clothes from his older cousin, Patrick. But much to my dismay he's already outgrown 75 percent of those clothes and it's only the beginning of November. As I wait for the next shipment from Patrick, I decided it would be worthwhile to pick up a few $4 shirts.

As you may already know from your own experience Target baby clothes tend to run smaller than labeled and trying to be the ever-thrifty baby-clothes-shopper I quickly moved to the 24-month size after holding up an 18-months t-shirt. I've learned my lesson on that already. Any clothing item that fits perfectly now won't fit at all in a couple of weeks. Out of curiosity I also searched for a size 2T just to see what it looked like. As I pulled it out of the stack the tiniest lump came to my throat. After size 24 months they don't sell onesies with the little snappies anymore! Size 2T and up is just a regular t-shirt for, well, toddlers.

William is a little more than two weeks away from his first birthday when he will make the official shift from an infant to a toddler. He's been acting like a toddler for quite some time now but now it's going to be official. No more snappies, no more bottles, no more bouncy chairs, no more swaddles and no more mandatory tummy time.

While I'm sad about my first baby growing up I'm not devastated because I know we'll do it all over again, God willing. And it makes me wonder, will that feeling ever go away? The feeling of wanting another baby even though you've already gone through it and you know how hard it is. I remember those last few weeks of my pregnancy and how uncomfortable I was. But still, I can't wait to do it all over again. I remember hearing those hungry cries at 1:00 a.m., 2:30 a.m., and then again at 4:00 a.m. And still, I can't wait to have a baby to coddle with who, at the same time, won't try his hardest to wriggle away and grab the remote control. When do you have your last baby and know that this indeed is final number of children God has called you to bear? Because right now I feel like that longing for a new baby will never go away.

All this talk may have a lot of you thinking that I'm either pregnant or will be soon. Before you start taste-testing my alcoholic drinks to make sure that they are just that, let me set the record straight. I am not pregnant and am planning on waiting quite a few months before thinking about getting pregnant. I'm just not ready quite yet. Although I'm not sure I could say the same for Brian. But he might think a bit different if our roles were reversed. All in good time, my friend.

Friday, November 2, 2007

At the birth of a child it's a tradition for every parent to count the number of fingers and toes on each hand and each foot. And every parent is so grateful if they find no less than five on each hand and five on each foot...until it comes time to clip nails.